Fiber laser maker IPG Photonics Corp. of Oxford, Mass., announced today that it has strengthened its capabilities in merchant diode sales, sales to the government, and low- and mid-power fiber laser sales with three new appointments: Jim Stathis as director of diode sales, Mike O’Connor as director of government and special applications, and Milton Vardakis as business development manager for materials processing. “Jim Stathis brings with him a breadth of knowledge from his more than 15 years of experience selling diodes and low-power lasers,” said Bill Shiner, IPG Photonics’ vice president, industrial markets. Prior to joining IPG, Stathis developed new OEM business opportunities for commercial lasers in the solar, semiconductor, life and health sciences, and fiber laser material processing markets. He has extensive experience with diode products, fiber lasers and other continuous-wave lasers at companies including JDS Uniphase, Coherent Inc. and Newport Corp. O’Connor previously served as a director of government sales at a maker of specialty optical fibers, responsible for sales of such fibers for low-power fiber lasers and amplifiers. Prior to joining IPG, he provided sales management and business development results at a Tier 1 manufacturer of industrial-based lasers and diodes. He was also founder and president of an engineering-based sales, distribution and consulting company providing custom component and systems solutions for electro-optical, semiconductor, life sciences, medical, military, aerospace, and energy OEM applications. Stathis (jstathis@ipgphotonics.com) can be reached at (949) 244-2907, O’Connor (moconnor@ipgphotonics.com) at (508) 373-1217, and Vardakis (mvardakis@ipgphotonics.com) at (408) 887-7366.